Analysis: Trivia

Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge

Ever heard of a guy named Sassoon? No not Vidal. Siegfried. Siegfried Sassoon. He was a buddy of Wilfred Owen's and he helped the young poet pen "Anthem for Doomed Youth." The two of them met in the hospital while Owen was recovering from—you guessed it—shell shock. (Source.)

Owen was no stranger to tough combat situations. Just look at this account of the events of his life on January 12, 1917: "Takes half of his platoon and occupies a former German bunker in No Man's Land and posts a sentry who during a bombardment is blinded. This incident became the subject of 'The Sentry')." In case you were wondering, "The Sentry" is one of Wilfred Owen's poems as well. Art imitates life. Or something like that. (Source.)

This poem went through a number of revisions before Owen finally hit the nail on the head. Be sure to check out this earlier version including notes as Owen tweaked his lines. Oh, and here's another.